Lot 2061
Two Black-to-Honey Crystal Opal Bead Necklaces
15 June 2021, 10:00 PDT
Los AngelesSold for US$1,147.50 inc. premium
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Two Black-to-Honey Crystal Opal Bead Necklaces
Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia
The first necklace, a single strand of black to honey crystal opal beads, consisting of 73 spherical beads, graduating from 15.5 to 3.9mm, weighing approximately 121.29 carats, completed with a silver clasp, length 17 in. The second, a double-strand necklace of black-to-honey crystal opal beads, strung nested, with the smaller strand consisting of 79 beads, graduating from 5.7 to 4.6mm, and the larger strand of 69 beads, graduating from 9.0 to 4.5mm, the total aggregate weight 156 carats, completed with a silver-gilt clasp, length 17 in. (2)
The first necklace, a single strand of black to honey crystal opal beads, consisting of 73 spherical beads, graduating from 15.5 to 3.9mm, weighing approximately 121.29 carats, completed with a silver clasp, length 17 in. The second, a double-strand necklace of black-to-honey crystal opal beads, strung nested, with the smaller strand consisting of 79 beads, graduating from 5.7 to 4.6mm, and the larger strand of 69 beads, graduating from 9.0 to 4.5mm, the total aggregate weight 156 carats, completed with a silver-gilt clasp, length 17 in. (2)
Footnotes
GLORIA MANNEY
Every curator, dealer and auctioneer who has met Gloria Manney called her "one of a kind" or said, "they don't make 'em like her anymore." She was a voracious collector with a style, intelligence, curiosity, courage and point of view all her own.
Along with her husband, Richard Manney, they researched and collected an amazing array of material culture and built entire markets for objects by aiding scholars in their work, including rare books and 18th and 19th Century fine and decorative arts. Their collections included the greatest assemblages of American portrait miniatures and American colonial goldsmithing, both now at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Their furniture resides at Winterthur, The Met and The Art Institute of Chicago.
But above all the objects in their lives, Opals were Gloria's first and foremost passion from childhood. They were her birthstone, her playthings, and her favorite adornment. No opal passed her by, as she believed every opal needed a home. A magpie by nature, their beauty entranced her. Gloria worked with dealers and auctioneers around the world to find opals. And the opals found her.
